The Tokyo Games continued on Monday with weightlifting in the +87kg division. While this event did not take place without some controversy, Team USA walked away with a medal, after Sarah Robles scored bronze.
Robles headed into the 2020 Olympics already carrying two Olympic appearances and a bronze medal on her resume. As such, she was one of the weightlifters that were worth paying a close eye to heading into this came, to see where her skills were at 33 years of age.
As it turns out, Sarah is still one of the best in the world at +87kg, as she showed by going 5/6 on her lifts, leading to a 282kg total. This combination was enough for her to etch another bronze medal, making her the first female weightlifter in American history to earn a medal in two separate Olympic Games.
Here is a breakdown of how Sarah Robles performed at the Tokyo Games:
- Snatch — 120kg (264.5lb) |125kg (275.5lb) | 128kg (282.1lb)
- Clean & Jerk — 150kg (330.7lb) | 154kg (339.5lb) (339.5lb) | 157kg (failed)
- Total — 282kg (621.7lb)
With this performance, Robles solidified herself as one of the greatest weightlifters Team USA has ever had. In three appearances at the Olympics, she has won two bronze medals, with this latest one making her the oldest female to earn a medal for Team USA, as she was the second oldest weightlifter competing in Tokyo.
On top of that, there were a lot of eyes on this portion of the women’s Olympic weightlifting, as this was the same division that saw transgender weightlifter Laurel Hubbard competing, and ultimately leaving the contest early after going 0/3 on the snatch. So for Sarah to thrive in this environment the way that she did, while there was pressure from those looking to prove that trans athletes had no strength advantage over those born as women, on top of the massive amount of pressure that goes with competing in the Olympics.
Add to this the fact that this performance came just a day after her birthday, and it was a pretty great time for Robles. She even noted as much with a post to her Instagram, celebrating her second bronze medal win as a great birthday present.
This was just one of several medals won for Team USA, during the Tokyo Games. However given the extra factors, it is safe to say that the bronze medal from Sarah Robles is one that will be remembered for a long time.
Published: 2 August, 2021 | 5:56 PM EDT
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